47-year-old woman found in river Scheldt was killed, autopsy shows

An autopsy shows that the 47-year-old woman whose body was found in the Scheldt river in Belgium on Monday died as a result of violence, the Tournai public prosecutor said at a press conference on Tuesday. 

Yesterday, a hiker discovered the lifeless body of Cathy Dubois in the River Scheldt in Kain, a district of the city of Tournai. A judicial inquiry into manslaughter has been opened. 

Dubois disappeared on Saturday night after her restaurant in the centre of Tournai closed at 23.30. Her partner and son went home at 22.50 after working in the restaurant, where no signs of aggression were found.

On Sunday morning, the woman's vandalised car was found at the railway station, on the road she usually took home. The federal judicial police discovered traces of blood in the car. The disappearance was immediately considered suspicious.

An autopsy revealed injuries that led to the victim's death and a manslaughter investigation was opened. There is still no trace of a perpetrator or motive, and it is not yet known where the woman was killed. 

^{The river Scheldt in Tournai, Belgium © BELGA PHOTO FRANK GHISLAIN}